Consistency regulator



July 15, 1930.I H. G. ICRAM 1,770,589

GONSISTENCY REGULATOR Original Filed Feb. 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y BY A'f'TZ/QA/f Patented July 15. 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -HEB'VEY G. CRAM, OF MILLINOCKET, MAINE, ASSIGNOR T0 GREAT NORTHERN PAPER COMPANY, OF MILLINOCKET, MAINE, 'A CORPORATION 0F MAINE CONSISTENCY REGULATOR rlginal application iiled February 18, 1927, Seria1 No. 169,360, and in Canada March 14, 1927. Divided and this application filed February 16, 1928. Serial No. 254,697.

I This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for regulating the consistency of paper stock or other fluid mixtures or compounds which can be handled in essentially the same manner as paper stock. The present application is a division of my pending application Serial No. 169,360, iled February 18, 1927, which discloses a method and a paratus for automatically handling the rap or imperfect paper' producedin a paper/ aking machine and commonly referred to as broke The apparatus disclosed in said application includes means for automatically delivering the broke from the paper machine to a beater where it'will be reduced to a consistency suitable for redelivery to the paper ments of an apparatus of this character. The.

invention also involves a novel method of v regulating consistency.

The various features of theinvention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be Yparticularly, pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Y p

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an organization which includes a regulator embodying this invention; I Y

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional. view showing certain featuresof the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the automatic control of the spraying or wet ting mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Y Y Fig.- 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view, partly in elevation, showing somewhat'diagrammatically the consistency regulator which is included in the organization shown in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the pilotY valves shown, respectively, in Figs.

-being connected .to this valve.

into the beater trough. lfVhen the broke is dry it tends to balloon and therefore is dithcult to handle. The apparatus shown, therefore, includes spray pipes lei-14 extending across the chutes 12-12 where they can direct a strong spray of water on to the paper as it comes down through either slot 9 or 10.

In starting up a paper machine after it has been shut down, it is necessary to run several minutes before the machine will produce a perfect web of paper of full width. The imperfect web coming through the machine is allowed to feed down through one of the slots in the floor into the guides or chutes 12-12 and into the beater. As soon as a perfect web begins to come through, the reeling is begun. Thereafter if the paper Ishould break either between the drying drums and the calender stack or between the calender stack .and the reel, the forward broken edge of the web will drop through one of the slots 9 or 10, depending upon the position of the break, and will be fed into the beater as above described.

In order to control the deliveryl of water to the wetting apparatus or spray pipes, the apparatus includes an'automatic mechanism which is under the control of the -web of paper travelling through the machine. This mech- 'anismfis best shown in Fig. 3. vIt will be observed that the iiow of water through the supply pipe 15 to the spray pipe 14 is controlled by a valve 16. Preferably this valve is of the type in which the plunger or movable element is unbalanced so that it will be opened by the pressure of the water in the supply pipe 15. The valve stem 17, however, is connected with a diaphragm (not shown) mounted in the casing 18and on which suiiicient air pressure normally is maintained to keep the valve closed. Air is conducted to this casing through a pipe line 19 which leads to a pilot valve 20, an air supply line 21 also (See Figs. 3 and 6.)

A feeler or rider ulate 22 normally rests on the web of paper W and is connected by a link 23 to the stem of the valve plunger 24 yso that the feeler normally holds the valve in approximately the position shown in Fig. with the full pressure of the air line on the diaphragm in the casing 18, the valve 16 at this time being held closed. If, however, the web of paper should break, thus releasmg the feeler 22, it would immediately drop, thereby moving the valve plunger 24 suliciently to cut oil the air pressure from the pipe 16 and connect this pipe line with the atmosphere. The airH pressure on the diaphragm thus being released, the Water pressure in the pipe 17 `immediately opens the valve 16 and produces a s ra from the pipe 14 which continues until t e eeler is again re-set in its normal or running position. Even if the break occurs between` the dr ing drums and the calenderv stack, the traiiing end of the paper willI shortly feed through the calender stack to'the reel and release the feeler 22. Y

It will be noted that the delivery of broke to the beater will necessarily be intemittent and that it will result in increasing the consistency of the-stock in the beater. It is necessary, therefore, to deliver additional water to the beater to com ensate for this increase in consistency, he present invention provides a mechanism for automaticall regulatin the consistency. Referring to Eig. 4 it Wi be observed that the beater roll 2 discharges the stock over an overflow dam 26, and that the stock then flows down an incline in the direction indicated by the arrow. The beaten the consistency of the stock increases, there is an appreciable change in the level of the stock inthis inclined portion of th'e stream flowing through the trou h3. That is, the stock rises to a higher hea at the point 27 on the discharge side of the beater when the consistency is increased, and the slope of the' stream as it flows along the down stream side of the dam is modiied.

Accordingly, the regulating apparatus p rovided by this invention comprises a stock Vcontacting member which is responsive to this" change in the stream and means under the control of this member for regulating the del livery of water to the beater. A convenient form of stock contacting member consists ofy a hose 28, as for example, an ordinary two inch hose with the end in contact with the stock closed or plugged. The opposite end of this hose is connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 30 carrying a counter weight 31 and connected by a link 32 to the plunger 33, Fig. 5, of a, pilot valve 34. A water pressure line leads to this valve at 35, while right h and left pipes 36 and 37 lead from this valve It will be evident that the position of the hose or float arm 38 will depend partly upon the level of the stock with which itk is lin contact, and partly on the drag or friction of the stock against this member. As the consistency increases the float arm 28 will `be 'raised somewhat, thus rocking the bellcrank lever 30 in a counter-clockwise direction, Fig. 4` and thereby pushing the plunger 33 of the pilot valve 34 toward the left, Fig. 5. This will admit water under pressure to the lefthand end of the cylinder 28, thus pushing the piston therein tou-'ard the right and'opening the gate valve40, whereupon water-.will fiow through Athe pipe 41 into the heater. This addition of Watertendsv to correct the change in consistency which caused the opening of the valve.

As the conslstency of thestock decreases,

the float arm 28 -Will drop tslightly,thus rock-'- plunger33 toward'the-right Where it admits' water to the right-hand end of the cylinder 38 and allows the Water from' the opposite end of the cylinder to escape, thus. closing the gate valve 40. This mechanism, therefore, automatically responds to changes in consistency of the stock and causes such changes to regulate the delivery of Water to the beater in a manner that compensates for, or corrects, the variations in consistency.

' In order' to lprevent any excessive movement of the bell crankflever 30, due, for example, to a- Wad of material coming in contact with the' float arm 28, I lprefer to use a stop 42 to limit the movement of this lever. \This stop may consist simply of a U-bolt through which the lever passes. A chute 44 is provided between the machines into 'which miscellaneous broke, such as end trimmings land the like, may be placed, the chute guiding this material down into the beater.

It will now be appreciated that the invention provides a relatively simple consistency regulator which operates continuously and' is -entirely Vautomatic in its action. The parts are sturdy and-substantial in' constructio'nso that the mechanism is very reliable. While I have herein shown and described a`` preferred embodiment of my inventionit will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

n my parent application above identified I have claimed both'the method of and appara-tus for handling broke. The claims of the present application, however, are directed to the consistency regulator and the improved method of regulating consistency of paper stock or the like disclosed in this application.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. In a consistency regulator for paper stock and the like, the combination of a trough for guiding the stock for flow therethrough in an inclined path, means for propelling the stock through said trough, a member supported in trailing contact with the surface of the stream of stock flowing through said trough, whereby its position will vary with the drag of the stock thereon and changes in the level of the stock, and consistency modfying means under the control of said mem- 2. In a consistency regulator for paper stock and the like, the combination of a stock contacting member, means for supporting said member in a trailing position in a stream of said stock whereby the position if said member will vary with the drag of the stock thereagainst and the level of the stock, means for delivering water to said stock, a. pilot valve connected with said member to be operated thereby, a main valve for control-v ling the delivery of water to said stock, and operating mechanism for said main valve under the control of said'pilot valve.

3. The combination of a beater including a Vbeater roll, a trough in which the paper stock can circulate and a dam at the discharge side of said beater; a float arm supported in a trailing position on the'surface ofthe inclined stream of stock at the down stream side of said dam, a pipe for conducting water to said trough, a main valve for controlling the flow of water through said pipe, a pilot vvalve connected with said float arm and a1:'

ranged to be operated thereby, and operating mechanism for said main valve under the control of said pilot valve. i

4. That improvement in methods of regulating the consistency of paper stock or the like, which consists in beating the stock, causing the stock to run away from 'the beater slowly by gravity whereby the inclination of the surface of the stream of stock at the discharge side of the beater will vary with the consistency of the stock, and utilizing said vVariations in inclination to control the delivery of water to the stock to correct the variations in consistency.

5. That improvement in methods of regulating the consistency of paper stock or the like, which consists in propelling the stock over a dam and then along an inclined course under conditions which Acause the level of the stock on the down stream side of the dam to vary with its consistency, and then utilizing such variations in level to control the delivery of water to the stock to correct variations in itsconsistency.

lating the consistency of paper stock or the like, which consists in propelling the stock along an inclined path down which it flows by gravity with a velocity varying with the consistency of said stock,and utilizing variations in the drag and level of the current so produced to control the delivery of water to the stock to correct the variations in consistency.

7. In a consistency regulator for paper stock and th'e like, the combination of a trough for guiding the stock for flow therethrough in an inclined path, means for propelling the stock through said trought, a member supported in trailing contact with thev surface of the stream of stock flowing through ysaid trough, and means under the control of said member for delivering water to the stock.

8. In a consistency regulator for paper stock and the like, the combination of a trough for guiding the stock for flow therethrough in an inclined path, means for propelling the stock through said trough, a member `supported in trailing contact with the surface of the stream of stock flowing through said trough, whereby the position of said member will vary with the drag of the stock v thereagainst and changes in the level of the stock, means for delivering water to said stock, a valve controlling such delivery, and operating means for said valve under the control of said member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HERVEY G. CRAM.

That improvement in methods of regu- 

